What They Fear Most
by Hypey0406
Summary: Sequel to "What They Didnt See". As Castle faces his worst fear, Beckett realizes what her's is now. CASKETT, Post-Always
1. Chapter 1

**AN: **Okay, so after sitting on this for a week and mentally planning out a vast majority of the rest of my storyline, I decided to continue the one-shot "What They Didn't See".

This will be a multi-chapter fic, I'm not sure how long.

Caskett of course! Starting post-Always but with a twist. You really need to read the other story first to get the full effect. There are some changes with the Always episode. For example, Kate kills the sniper. I wrote it before the episode aired and I didn't want to go through changing it.

Normal Disclaimers Apply.

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**What They Fear Most**

_**Chapter One**_

Kate stared at the coffee machine as the precious brown liquid slowly trickled into the glass container. The moment the coffeepot held enough liquid to fill her cup, she grabbed at it. The first sip of fresh coffee was always a highlight of her day, normally accompanied by a smile from her favorite writer, but today it was a solid moment of escape. And she desperately needed an escape.

Grasping the warm coffee mug, she observed the situation that laid before her. It wasn't how she imagined her first morning in the Castle house. Barely dawn and her co-workers (or at least _former_ co-workers) set huddled around the coffee table reviewing over notes and planning the next action. Captain Gates stood a step or two away, observing the partners and making offering assistance and advice when needed. And then there was Castle... the worried father... huddled in the corner on his cell phone informing his mother of the recent developments and making arrangements for her to come home from the Hamptons.

It seemed impossible that just a few hours ago life was perfect for Kate and Rick. But that perfection was only an illusion that came apart by a single phone call...

_Five hours ago..._

"That was... amazing." sighed Castle as he stroked Kate's bare back.

"_Amazing? Ah-mazing! _Seriously Rick I thought you were a writer!" laughed Kate in mock horror.

"Well, what can I say. I think I need to spend more time with my muse." Castle laughed as Kate cuddled closer to him.

"About that Castle... I quit." Kate bit her lip as she waited for Castle's reaction. "Not being your muse... although I guess that too now... I resigned from the precinct."

"I know. Ryan texted me earlier to get me to change your mind."

"Why didn't you try?" Kate said clutching the sheet as she sat up.

"Because, trying to change your mind is a waste of time. But, lets talk about this later – we are ruining a _spectacular _moment." Castle said with a wink as he leaned in for another kiss.

"Better... not quite there yet." Kate laughed as she ducked his kiss and moved to get off the bed. "I am taking a shower..."

"But the _marvelous_ moment?" Castle huffed as he watched her leave.

"Can continue in the shower..." Kate said as she dropped the sheet outside the bathroom door.

Castle raced out of bed but before he could reach the door he heard his phone vibrating on the nearby dresser. Grabbing a robe, he checked the caller id to see that it was a friend of Alexis'.

"Hey Madeline"

"Mr. Castle, I'm so sorry to bother you so early but I cant seem to find Alexis." the young girl said loudly into the phone over the blaring music from the party. "I've tried her cell like a hundred times and it keeps going to voice mail. Have you heard from her?"

"Not since she called me a few hours ago. When was the last time you saw her?" Castle tried to stay calm. He knew his daughter – she was probably just asleep somewhere after staying up so late working on her speech. But he couldn't help feeling like an anxious parent, he just wanted to know his daughter was safe.

"Not since right after she called you. She went to the bathroom and I lost track of her." Madeline sounded distracted but worried at the same time. "I've asked around but no one seems to remember seeing her."

"Thank you for calling Madeline I'm going to call her cell and then I may swing over there and just check it out myself. See if anyone has seen her – they typically pay a little more attention when a parent asks."

"Let me know if you here from her okay."

"Will do. Thanks Madeline" Castle clicked off the cell phone and heard the door swing open from the bathroom by Kate wrapped in a towel.

"I thought you were joining me.. what is wrong." Kate looked at Castle's face as it turned from his normal skin tone to ghostly white.

For several moments, Castle just stared at his phone looking at disbelief of what he was seeing on the screen. Kate walked over to sit next to him on the bed and gently pulled the cellphone out of his grip.

Two new text messages stood out on the clear display.

"_Mr. Castle – give us Kate Beckett."_

"_Or never see your daughter again."_

Kate read the words over again, praying they would change their meaning. The hope soon faded as she heard the sound of terror in Castle's voice.

"They have her. They have _Alexis_."

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	2. Chapter 2

**AN:** Sorry for the delay. I'm heading for vacation this weekend and I was so focused on packing I didn't get a chance to write. Luckily I will have a ton of time to write this weekend so expect a lot of updates starting next week. I'm really excited about this piece, but right now I'm having to do some set up work for the characters. It will pick up the pace soon though.

Thanks for all the reviews!

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**What They Fear Most**

_**Chapter Two**_

Kate watched as Castle hit the call button again for the hundredth time.

"Castle – they turned the phone off. Probably even took the batteries out."

" I KNOW! I KNOW!" Castle yelled as he threw the phone into the wall. Kate watched as it harmlessly fell to the ground, silently thanking Alexis for investing in the durable case when he first purchased the phone.

_Alexis... _even just thinking her name was painful. After reading the text messages from the kidnappers who used Alexis' phone to send them, Castle tried calling the phone back. Kate's mind raced trying to formalize a plan as Castle kept ending the call as soon as the young woman's voice started the normal message greeting. He would stare at the phone for a few seconds like it had just slapped him across the face before immediately calling the number again.

"What are we going to do Kate? How do we get her back?" Kate looked at Castle for the first time since she read the message. He looked smaller, older somehow. Gone was the bravado he normally possessed. He was a father, a citizen needing help and no matter her current state of employment – she was a cop. He wanted her to take control, to form a plan, to bring his daughter home.

Pulling her phone out of the jeans she had changed back into, Kate dialed the one number she knew Castle needed her to call.

"Captain Gates speaking." The older woman's voice rang clear through the phone.

"Captain Gate, I apologize for calling at this late hour but I..."

"Beckett, I know why you are calling. I am surprised it didn't take you longer to get past your pride though, but I know you want your job back. We can talk about it in the morning." Gates said, obviously annoyed at the late night phone call.

"Captain, this isn't about my job. Alexis Castle was abducted this evening and we need your help." Kate watched as Rick quickly left the room. He was already reliving the past few moments, he didn't need to hear them relayed to anyone else. "Castle received a text message from Alexis' phone stating that they had taken her. She was last seen at a party but no one remembers seeing her for hours and her phone is now off."

"Kate, I am a police captain of a homicide division. You need to call this in, we cannot step over jurisdiction here. Besides, how do you know that she was abducted. She may just simply have left her phone off or a friend might have stolen it to play a prank." Gates said, with just a little more compassion for the former detective.

"The kidnappers said that they would return her if Castle gave them me, sir. I believe this is connected to everything."

"The dead thief, your shooting..."

"Captain Montgomery's murder, my mother's murder – there is more about this than you know right now Captain. And I hate to sound like a conspiracy theorist but it goes farther than we both know." Kate stopped to fight the emotions that boiled inside of her. Castle needed her to fight right now, fight for his family. "Captain, no matter what you personally think of Castle, he has been an asset to this precinct and he is a good man and a great father. Between the people who may be involved or would just leak things to the press, I don't know who to trust. We have to get Alexis back and to do that quickly and quietly we need to have the information contained to the small group of us that know about this case already. Please - will you help us?"

"Call Detective Ryan, I will call Esposito and meet you at Castle's loft. That way we can keep away for curious eyes in the precinct. Dig up everything you have on this case – I'm going to want the full story Kate."

"Thank you Captain."

"And Kate – we will bring her home. Tell Castle that for me." Gates said with as much compassion as Kate had ever heard come from the older woman.

"Yes sir."

Kate quickly went about contacting Ryan and Lanie of the details. Lanie volunteered to retrieve Kate's files from her apartment as Ryan brought the official case files from the precinct. With the plan finally in motion, Kate left Rick's bedroom in search of her partner.

She found him staring at the touch screen in his study, her own picture staring back at her in the middle.

"Castle, everyone is coming now. We are going to figure this out." Kate wrapped her arm around his waist trying to relay as much comfort as possible. "We will bring her home."

"Why haven't they contacted me again? They leave a cryptic message and then just go silent? And why are they doing this? If they want you, they know where you live, where you work... why kidnap my daughter?" Castle said frustrated and hurt.

"I think they took her to warn you. You know too much about this case, probably as much or more than I do. They want to kill me but they know that it wont be that easy anymore. You would investigate it, you would want justice." Kate wondered how her life had gotten so twisted that a conversation about someone wanting her dead was now a common occurrence.

"Then they could kill me too. They didn't have to threaten my family."

"Killing me, a police officer, is much different than killing a well-known writer. My death may warrant a small headline in the news but they could always stage it as a robbery or a case gone wrong. Killing you on the other hand, the press would go crazy with the irony of the _Master of the Macabre_ meeting his own death. Even if the killers staged it, your fans would invent crazy theories and many would want some form of justice before they let go. The memorials would be publicized, your book sales would skyrocket, there would probably be a _True Hollywood Story_ all about your murder – _you_ are famous but your death would be _infamous_."

"Well when you put it that way, maybe that would be a good thing" Castle replied sarcastically, obviously uncomfortable hearing the ramifications of his own passing. " But why haven't they called yet?"

"They want you scared. They want you so scared that you will do anything they ask. They want you to not even think twice about sacrificing me for her. And they want you to remember that if you ever come looking for them after they kill me, they can take her again or worse." Kate tightened her grip around his waist, letting him know that she was still here. Even if it cost her life, Kate would bring Alexis home.

"Kate, I wont let them kill you." Castle whispered as he around and pulled her even closer.

"We will talk about that when the time comes. For now let's focus on getting your girl back. Why don't we move this screen into the other room so you can share what you know when everyone gets here." Kate deflected his comment as much as she could, because she knew that if it came down to it he would sacrifice her to save Alexis.

And even if he couldn't, she would do it herself. She loved him, and she would not let her mother's case hurt his family. She had always feared her mother's death would haunt her forever, now she realized that what she was actually afraid of, why she built up the wall around herself so much, was that the case would hurt the one's she loved. And that fear was stronger that anything, even the fear of death itself.

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	3. Chapter 3

**AN: **Okay, in all honesty I stole part of this from BBC's Sherlock. I love that show though, so feel like I'm paying homage not down right stealing. And seriously – find it on Netflix and watch it because it is really is amazing.

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**What They Fear Most**

_**Chapter Three**_

Hours later, Kate found herself holding her cup of coffee in Castle's kitchen as she watched her friends work to find his daughter.

When everyone had first arrived at the loft, she had walked them through what little they knew about the abduction. Kate watched Captain Gates' reaction to the information the trio of detectives, medical examiner and crime novelist had kept secret regarding her predecessor's murder. Whatever emotion the police Captain had was kept well hidden through the poker face of cold distance she had in place, but Kate could tell that she would not release the information to the public. Even Gates knew that some secrets were better kept unknown, it was a rule one learns in her line of work.

As they discussed the motive for the kidnapping and the slim leads they held, Castle grew more agitated by the minute. He would pace the living room, making the rare contribution to the discussion but mostly keeping his frantic thoughts to himself.

Dawn broke and they had still heard nothing from the kidnappers.

"Is Martha on her way?" Kate asked as Castle entered the kitchen holding his cellphone.

"Yes, she is coming. She said she wanted to be here when she comes home." Castle said, turning to get a cup of coffee. Kate noted how Castle avoided using Alexis' name. She had not heard him say it for hours, and he flinched every time he heard someone speak it.

She reached out to grab his hand but just as her fingers grazed his skin the phone started to ring. The entire room froze in an instant as they heard the long-awaited sound. Grabbing the cell, Castle read the number and nodded to Kate.

Turning towards the group in the living room, Kate saw Ryan already on his laptop trying to start the trace of the young woman's cell.

"Turn it on speaker, Castle." Kate said as she walked closer to her partner.

Castle quickly pressed the green button on his phone to answer the call but before he could speak he heard his daughter's voice on the other end.

"I'm assuming you received my messages, Mr. Castle." said the young woman voice on the other end.

"Alexis, honey are you okay?" Castle choked out, shocked to her his little girl so soon.

"She is fine Mr. Castle, we wont hurt her … unless we have to." Alexis stuttered, apparently reading a script from her captors.

"Castle, she is just reading a script. They don't want us to hear their voice." Kate whispered in his ear as she watched the confusion on his face at his daughter's reply.

"Let my daughter go. Just please, tell me what to do." Castle pleaded to the phone as he heard the others move in to the kitchen.

"You know what I want.. I am assuming you already have the police with you? Detective Beckett is listening correct?"

"I'm here." Kate replied as Castle grasped her hand.

"We will give you an address soon Mr. Castle. That is where you will... No I'm not saying that... No I wont let you use.." Alexis screamed as they began to torture her for reading off script.

"STOP IT. STOP HURTING HER." Castle yelled into the phone as Kate pushed him away from the phone.

"Alexis, please read what they told you to read. Just follow their rules okay honey. Just tell me what they said." Kate tried calming the poor girl down on the other end.

"That is where you will.." Alexis said clenching her teeth "Trade your Kate Beckett for your daughter."

"Tell us where. Tell us when." Kate said, forcing herself to ignore what they were asking in return for Alexis' safety.

"You will know soon. But first I have a photo for you." cried Alexis as the call disconnected.

Turning around, she found the writer slumped to the floor with tears streaming down his face. Bending down to offer him the little comfort she could, she sat next down and grabbed his hand.

"I've found her. The call was long enough – we were able to trace it to a building a few miles away." Ryan said as he joined the group gathered in the kitchen.

"So we can get her then. We can bring her home and Kate wont have to..." Castle said as his face relaxed with the glimmer of hope. Hearing the phone notify him of a new text message, he rose to pick it up off the counter.

Kate followed, reading the messages from over his shoulder.

_By now you have traced the call to the building. _

_Bring Detective Beckett. Only the two of you.  
_

_Bring as many guns as you want, it wont help. _

_As you see the clock is ticking..._

A fifth text message followed making Kate's blood run cold – a single photo of Alexis Castle, bruised with a bloody lip and tear stained face, tied to a chair, wrapped with duck tape, explosives and a timer shining red on her chest.

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_Read and Review. Please and Thank you._


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: **This is dedicated to **tsquarred322**. I appreciated all the reviews so much that I thought I would grant the request for a quick update. I am very excited for the next few chapters and have them all mind-mapped so they should be arriving soon, but probably not until this weekend.

Thank you all for your continued support. I'm very grateful!

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**What They Fear Most**

_**Chapter Four**_

"Ryan, pull this up on the big screen. I want to know what type of explosive we are talking about." Gates ordered, moving the team to focus on the operation at hand. If she was going to be able to save Alexis Castle without getting Detective Beckett killed, she needed to take control of this situation as quickly as possible.

Grabbing the cell phone, Ryan returned to the living room and large screen monitor to follow his captain's orders. Taking one last look at the devastated partners, the rest of the group followed letting them have a second to digest the new development.

"Castle..." Kate whispered, turning to comfort her best friend. Rick walked towards the back of the kitchen and for a brief second Beckett wasn't sure if he was headed towards the trashcan or the liquor cabinet. The latter ended up being correct as he grabbed a bottle of expensive whiskey and a nearby glass.

In one swift movement, Castle filled the glass and emptied it without spilling a drop. His hands shaking, he filled again and slid the glass across the counter to Kate. The former detective stared at the glass for a split second before grabbing the glass and letting the liquid courage burn down her throat.

"I wont let them kill you." Castle began, sounding even more terrified than he did when he held her in his arms as she bled to death only a year prior.

"I wont let them kill her." Kate bounced back, an unwavering strength to her voice – masking the fear coursing through her veins.

They stared at each other for a brief second before Castle walked back around and grabbed Kate with the same fierce passion that she had shown him only hours before. She tasted the whiskey on his breath and the fear in his kiss, and when he finally broke the moment she felt her own fear grab a hold of her chest.

"I need you to be Detective Beckett now." Castle whispered, just inches away from her face. "You are the only one who can get us through this."

"You're wrong Castle. I am the best when I have you by my side." Kate stepped back, rocking on her heel as the absence of Castle's warmth made her skin feel frozen. "Let's go back and do what we do best. I'll figure out the truth and you will come up with a crazy way to solve the case."

As she turned away, the novelist stared at her retreating figure for a split second before the detective turned her head.

"Coming Castle?"

Joining the team in the living room, Kate was grateful to see that even though the picture of Alexis was on the big screen, Ryan had thought ahead to zoom in to the device - obscuring her battered face.

"Thanks Mike, I owe you a beer. Hell, I owe you a hundred." Espisito said as he clicked off his cell phone. "Okay so I had Ryan send a zoomed in picture of the device to my friend in the bomb squad. He says that it looks legit and the timer is a detonator. He also said that it looks like there are also several different tamper proof triggers under the duck tape."

"So we send in the bomb squad and they can help defuse it." Captain Gates replied, pulling out her own cell phone to make the order.

"Wait – there is something else." Castle said, moving closer to the smart board. "There is a remote trigger."

"Mike didn't say anything about a remote trigger." Espisito said as he moved into a better position to the object Castle was pointing at.

"I spent six months researching professional bomb units for _Storm's Thunder_. I know this unit – I described it in detail in the novel."

"If your information is correct – which we really don't have time to verify - we cant just barge in there and take her. What else do we know?" Captain Gates said as she returned the phone to her pocket. "We only have three hours people, and as much as I know you want to handle this on your own – I'm going to have to start bringing other departments in. So if you have a plan on how to get that young woman out their without sacrificing Kate – we need it now."

"Well, we know that they wont be there." Lanie said, speaking up for the first time in a while.

"Why do you say that? Why kidnap her and then just dump her in a building?" Ryan said, leaning away from the laptop.

"Because they wont let us hear their voice, they have a remote trigger and they don't care if Beckett brings a weapon to the building." Lanie replied, putting together the pieces the messages included.

"So their end goal is to get Beckett but they aren't there for the hand off?"

"No, Ryan – there goal isn't to trade Alexis for me. It is to kill me." Kate said leaning against the wall. "They want to kill me in front of Castle – to make sure he never hunts them again. And they wont detonate a bomb because killing Castle, his daughter and his muse would be a huge headline in the paper. There must be a..."

As Kate trailed off, looking down in fear and dread, realization dawned on everyone's face. A sniper – to finish what was started long ago.

"Well then – we need one hell of a plan." Castle whispered, moving closer to Kate. As he touched her arm, Kate brought her gaze to meet the writer's. With the wisp of his trademark grin on his face, he said softly, "and I have one."

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_Read and Review. Please and Thank you._


	5. Chapter 5

**AN:** Sorry for the wait - but I'm uploading two chapters today to make up for it.

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**What They Fear Most**

_**Chapter Five**_

"I hate this plan. This is a stupid plan." Castle grumbled as Kate parked in front of the building. The place holding his daughter, explosives and a potential death trap for the woman sitting next to him.

"Castle, it was your idea in the first place." Kate said as she made to get out of the car.

"I know that and at the time it seemed brilliant but like everyone said hours ago – there is so much that can go wrong." Castle whispered grabbing her arm as she moved to get out of the car.

"And as everyone said before – this is the best plan we have. It is the only one that gets us out of there alive." Kate leaned forward brushing her lips against Castle's cheek.

At the contact, Castle reached out and grabbed Kate's hair, pulling her closer and capturing her mouth in a breathless act of passion. Kate relaxed into the kiss for a moment -knowing that this may be the last time she shared one with him. Castle pulled away first, resting his head against her forehead.

"Kate, even if this goes perfect..." Castle began before Beckett interrupted him.

"Things will change, I know. But we need to focus now, Rick. You need to focus on Alexis and I will make sure your plan, your crazy plan, works." She smiled at him trying to ease the fear across his face. It was going to work, it had too – her life depended on it.

Gathering up her last strands of courage and determination , Kate moved out of the car and towards the back. Dressed in her old NYPD jacket, Kate opened the trunk to grab her spare gun and clip. Although the Captain had relented on letting Castle and Beckett attempt his scheme, she could not return Beckett's normal weapon to her without attracting too many people to their plan. Beckett understood she would be going in as a civilian and if things went wrong – or even right – she would be held responsible without the cover of a detective's badge.

So the partners walked up to the building alone, with only one weapon and the fake appearance of certified police work around them.

Entering the building, Kate sensed Castle's renewed urgency to find his daughter and get her as far away from this place as possible. Keeping her gun at the ready, she walked ahead of Castle and cleared each room and closet on the first floor before traveling up the front staircase. The building was, as she expected, an old office building, abandoned decades before with the exception of the various homeless people that obviously used it for shelter when the weather ran them from the streets. With Castle at her heels, she quickly climbed the staircase to the higher floors.

As they neared the top floor, Castle placed his hand on Kate's shoulder to slow her. Tapping his finger to his ear, he signaled her to listen for the faint crying sound resonating through the door she had just passed. Pushing Castle back against the wall, Kate slowly opened the door with her gun raised.

Castle immediately tried to push her aside in order to find the source of the crying but stopped at Kate's warning look. She may not be a detective anymore but her training had kept her alive so far and she would not relent now.

The partners traveled quickly to the source of the cries, clearing each room as they passed until they reached the only closed door in the office. Quickly throwing open the door, Kate and Castle both saw what had been haunting their memories for hours.

"Dad" Alexis screamed as she saw her father enter the room behind Beckett who stayed deep in the shadows.

"Alexis, pumpkin, I'm here. You are going to be fine." Castle said racing to her side to comfort her as much as he could without touching the explosives around her chest.

A reflection of light drew Kate's attention away from the reunion and she quickly swept the room for any clues that may alter their plan. She registered at least two blinking red lights in the corners, confirming her suspicion that they were taping the activities in the room. On the wall opposite Alexis, a large television screen ran messages from Alexis' apparent kidnappers – including a more recent one meant for her.

_Tick Tock, Detective. _

_Walk to the window and the clock will stop._

Another reflection of light passed over the monitor as Kate read the directions that ultimately would lead to her death. After the time they had taken for preparations and the pacing up the stairs, Alexis timer was counting to less than half an hour.

"Kate – you have to leave. Kate they will..." Alexis' cries were cut off as she screamed in pain. Jumping away from the chair as he felt the shock, Castle climbed to the electrical cord that held the current hurting his daughter and pulled it from the wall.

"Alexis, sweetheart, I need you to hear this." Kate said as she knelt in front of the young woman.

" I never meant for this to hurt you. I never meant -" biting back tears, Kate continued " I never meant to hurt anyone but them and I'm so so sorry."

"Kate, please... don't." Alexis pleaded through her tears.

"Alexis, I am so glad I was able to meet you and know you. You are amazing, Alexis. You are strong and you will get pass this. But promise me one thing – make him get past it too." Kate whispered as she felt the tears roll down her cheeks.

"Kate, stop – not yet." Castle yelled as he grabbed for his partner's hand. "Kate – I cant."

"Castle, I have to – it is the only way." Kate said as she avoided his reach and stood up.

She walked slowly towards the window, stepping into the bright sunlight.

"Castle, I love you." Kate said as she reached the glass.

Castle knew he would relive the next moment for the rest of his life: the shot ringing through the air, the broken glass, Alexis screaming, and the sound of his partner – the love of his life – hitting the floor.

Castle raced to her side, covering the rip in her jacket with all his might.

"Kate don't leave me. Kate don't... don't..." Castle pleaded, knowing that it was too late.

Reaching for the phone in his pocket, he dialed the only number that could help.

"Ryan, Kate has been shot. Where is the backup?" Castle pleaded over the phone barely listening to the reply.

As the red liquid pooled around the body, Castle watched the red numbers on his daughter's chest freeze and turn off.

Minutes later, the room filled with bomb squad personnel followed by Captain Gates and Detective Ryan. Pushing Castle to comfort his stricken daughter, Kevin Ryan knelt beside his former partner's body and nodded to the Captain.

Through all of this, the red lights in the corners never faltered. They watched as silent devils, relaying the knowledge to their evil masters that they had succeeded.

Detective Kate Beckett was dead.

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_Read and Review. Please and Thank you._


	6. Chapter 6

**AN:** So I couldn't very well leave that hanging for too long, so enjoy:

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**What They Fear Most**

_**Chapter Six**_

Castle tugged at the tie around his neck as he walked into the loft. Stripping off the jacket, Castle seriously considered burning the expensive black suit before throwing it into the trash can in the kitchen.

He would never – could never – wear that suit again. Every time would be a reminder of her funeral, seeing her name carved in stone and placed above her grave.

The funeral had been a small, short gathering. Since Kate had officially died as a civilian, there was limited police presence, mainly Detectives Ryan and Espisito. It had taken days before the investigation had closed and the body had been returned to Jim Beckett. At his request, only close family and friends attended the grave site. After a very public and tense conversation at the precinct where Captain Gates informed the grieving father that his daughter's case, like his wife's, had resulted in no viable leads and would be left unsolved, she understood that her presence would not be appropriate.

After the funeral, Castle instructed the detectives that his credit card was on file at the Old Haunt, if any members of the precinct would like to gather for a toast in the fallen detective's honor. Soon, only the writer was left beside Jim Beckett. The two men stared at the grave site before the elder patted Rick on his back and walked away. Castle knelt down to the fresh dirt, whispering "thank you" to the body below.

Reaching his room, Castle pulled a suitcase out of his closet and began filling it with clothes. He had sent Alexis and Martha off to the Hamptons days after the abduction and shooting. He had found Alexis a highly recommended therapist to help ease the trauma that she experienced and had readily agreed her advice that the young woman was not prepared to attend the funeral.

Now, with Kate's belongings and finances sorted and funeral complete, Castle was finally ready to join his women in the bright sun and sandy beach of his Hampton home.

As Castle finished packing, he pulled out his new cell phone dialing the only person he needed to hear on that day.

"Hey, I was wondering when you would call? Are you about to leave?" the sweet voice rang through the phone, easing the tension from Castle's shoulders.

"I just finished packing... I just really needed to hear your voice." Castle replied, leaning back on the bed.

"So, how was my funeral?"

The image of a newly tan Kate Beckett breezed into Castle's mind as he heard the distant waves in the background.

"Horrible – too real in my opinion. Remind me to never play your dad in poker." Castle laughed, finally able to push away the pain he felt all day.

"Well, he wasn't too happy to hear that his only daughter was faking her death, so I'm sure it was a hard day for him too." Kate laughed, relaxing in the afternoon sun at Castle's Hampton house.

"Yeah, it was a stupid plan." Castle grinned for the first time since he heard about his daughter's abduction days before.

"But it_ worked."_

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_Read and Review. Please and Thank you._


	7. Chapter 7

**AN:**

Long time, no write. I apologize for the delay in continuing this story. There are several excuses I could make but in all honesty I just got caught up in life.

Fortunately I had a major writing streak happen and have decided to continue this story but through a sequel titled: _Who She Couldn't Be_.

I'm uploading the first two chapters tonight so please catch that.

Thanks for reading!


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